Want a great lawn? Now is the perfect time to fertilize

I have a feeling that most would like to be putting their lawn mowers and other lawn equipment away for the season. Hold on for just one more fall task that really goes a long way to benefit your turfgrass.

Research has shown that a late fall fertilization provides huge benefits to your lawn. In fact, if you are only going to fertilize one time a year, this would be the one time to do it.

Most don’t think about lawn care this time of the year, but that last fall fertilization gives your lawn the necessary nutrients for next spring.

The normal recommendation for fertilizing turfgrass is four times a year. The first application is made in April and usually coincides with an application of pre-emergent herbicide if there are issues with crabgrass.

The second application is made in late May and is sometimes paired with a broadleaf weed control.

Lawns need around three pounds of nitrogen per growing season to remain healthy and thick. Since nitrogen doesn’t stick around for long, and what is not used in a short period of time leaches (moves down through the soil).

If three pounds of nitrogen is applied in the spring, a little will be available to the plant and the rest leached out.

By splitting the three pounds into four different applications, you are giving a little bit of nitrogen to the plant over a longer period of time.

Fertilizing a lawn is an easy way to thicken it up as well as to help fight weeds. Weeds take over when the lawn thins out, therefore follow a good fertilization schedule in order to keep the grass healthy.

Again, if you are only going to fertilize your lawn twice, do the last two. If only once, do the last one.

Popular in Lifestyles

1

2

3

Reader Comments
...

Next Up in Home Garden

A bipartisan effort to improve Ohio’s 3,000-plus-mile network of trails, headed in part by a Warren County state lawmaker, has been an example for other states in driving improvement of outdoors opportunities, officials said. The bipartisan Ohio Legislative Trails Caucus, thought to be the first of its kind, is headed by two state senators, Steve...

There are several diets that promote weight loss, including low-carb plans. Now experts have more evidence to prove they work, according to a new report. Researchers from Boston Children’s Hospital recently conducted a small study, published in the British Medical Journal, to determine the link between weight loss maintenance...

Jobs can be stressful, but there are some that cause more of a mental strain than others, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency recently conducted a study to determine the occupational groups with the highest suicide rates. To do so, they examined data from 17 states that participated...

For more than 30 years, Clifton Mill has been a glowing example of what the holiday season is about in Southwest Ohio. The official Ohio.org website published its Ohio Holiday Lights Trail list, and Clifton Mill was near the top of most spectacular light shows in the state. The recognition comes just in time, as Clifton Mill is in the running...

Not a fan of the chaos that inevitably comes with in-person Black Friday shopping? » RELATED: Amazon offers free shipping for all during 2018 holiday season If you’d rather get in on the fun from the comfort of your couch or bed, e-commerce giant Amazon has plenty of deals for its customers just in time for the holidays....